Machine for printing tickets



Feb. 26 1924.

1,4852 70 J. A. KELLER MACHINE FOR PRINTING TICKETS Filed March 16 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 2 1924.

J. A. KELLER MACHINE FOR PRINTING TICKETS Filed March 16 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 26, 1924.

JOHN ALWYN KELLER, OF BAY SHORE, NEW YORK ASSIGNOR TOKELLER PRINTING COMPANY, or new YORK, n. Y.

, A con-ro'nn'rron or NEW Yon IVIACHIN E FOB PRINTING TICKETS.

Application filed March 16, 1923. Serial No. 625,574.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN ALwrN KELLER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Bay Shore, in the county of Suffolk and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Printing Tickets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for printing tickets, and it has particular relation to an improved mechanism for imprinting the lot-numbers or other identifying data successively upon clothing tickets which are to be attached to garments or upon other or analogous tickets which are fed through the machine in continuous strips comprising successively the respective ticket units.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and improved mechanism of the character set forth, which will possess advantages in point of convenience and delicacy of adjustment, positive and effective action, economy in construction and general efficiency.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side view of the mechanism embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a face View of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side view opposite to that shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view on the line 41-4, Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a detail cross-section on the line 5 5, Fig. 4.

Fig. is a detail cross-section on the line 6-6, Flg. at.

Fig. 7 is a detail side view of the adjust-.

' denoted by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, 14 designates a suitable upright frame which supports in relative position the operative parts hereinafter described. A main revoluble shaft, 15, is provided to carry the printing media and is mounted in projective position from the framework. Said shaft carries a fixed collar, 16, which may be adjustably connected with the shaft by a set screw, as at 17, and constitutes thehub of a driving gear,

18. Under some preferred conditions, said collar-hub of the driving gear may be permanently fixed to the shaft without adjustable connection. Beyond the gear-collar 16, the shaft is provided with a fixed or integral rib, 19, extending longitudinally a suitable distance and pro ective laterally from the cylindrical circumference of the shaft, which rib forms a keyfor lockingthe type-discs against rotary movement on the shaft.

The type-discs, 20, which constitute the printing media, are respectively formed by a metallic plate having a central or axial cylindrical opening, 21, corresponding. to the shaft 15, and a radial recess, 22, extending from said opening and corresponding to the fixed key 19 of-the shaft. Said discs have a circular periphery, and at equidistant points thereon are provided with projective type heads, 24, having" the characters to be print ed. In the present conditions as illustrated, for printing lot numbers, these characters are numbers, each of the plural type-heads of the respective disc carrying a correspond ing number, so that .when a plurality of the type-discs are assembled together successively and side by side upon the shaft 15 they will collectively form'a printing drum having at each cross-series of type-heads the desired series of numbers representing'the lot number for which the mechanism is set. The type-discs preferably carry a plurality of printingheads for the usual multiple-speed action, so that with one revolution of the main shaft 15 the desired numhere or identifying data are imprinted upon a successive plurality of ticket units as the continuous ticket-strip passes through the machine.

Such printingdiscs have been heretofore employed, and in my invention the set of discs is mounted directly upon the main revoluble shaft 15 and locked thereon by the engagement of their recess 21 with the fixed rib-key'19 carried by the shaft, the

series of discs thus mounted side by side retaining the removable type-discs in direct connection with the shaft 15 is preferably a wing-nut, for convenient operation, and constitutes a clamp acting directly against the set of type-discs, and its inner clamping face is preferably recessed or chambered, as at 27, to afford accommodating space for the fixed key-rib 19 of the shaft in circumstances where the number of type-discs employed would leave an outer end portion of the rib projecting beyond the set of discs.

In the operative conditions and service of ticketprinting mechanisms of the class to which my invention relates, it is important to assure a positively-maintained mountlng of the type-discs in connection with the main shaft, to avoid slippage or any relative variation of the position of the mounted and assembled discs, which would cause inaccuracy of printing or blurring of the imprint, and my improvements are designed to efiectively meet these conditions by providing a positive locked connection of the type-discs directly to and upon the main shaft, whereby the movement of the shaft and discs must be absolutely coincident, and a clamping member, 25, which is likewise directly carried by the shaft and itself directly bears against the set of type-discs. This effective construction also presents the advantages of simplicity and economy in manufacture and convenience in operation and use.

It is also an important desideratum that a very delicate adjustment of the plane of the type-discs be permitted, to compensate for very slight variation in the thickness of the paper ticket-strips which are fed through the mechanism between the printing-heads 2 1 and an underlying platen or bed. In such adjustment the plane of the type-discs is varied by adjustment of the plane of the carrying main-shaft, and the means for this adjustment as comprised in my invention is designed to enable extreme delicacy and convenience in the adjustment action.

For this purpose, my improvements comprise a bushing member, 28, having a cylindrical circumference, as at 29, turnably mounted in a corresponding cylindrical opening in the frame 14:. Said bushing has a longitudinal cylindrical bore, 30, through which the revoluble main type-disc shaft 15 passes and which constitutes the bearing therefor. The bore bearing 30 for the shaft is on a plane eccentric to the center or axis of the bushing in its turnable adjustable movement upon its cylindrical seat 29 in the frame 14:. Thus, a slight turning movement of the eccentric-bearing bushing will efiect a very delicate variation in the plane of the type-disc shaft 15.

To lock the turnable bearing bushing in 1 ssam its cylindrical seat, and enable convenient manipulation for adjustment and fixed maintenance thereof, the bushing is provided, at its end beyond its cylindrical circumference 29, flange, 31, adapted to bear against the face of the frame 1 1 adjacent the gear-hub l6, and its opposite end is externally threaded, as at 32, and carries a lock-nut, 38, adapted to seat against the opposite face of the frame 14, whereby the turnable bushing is securely clamped in its cylindri al seat in the frame between the flange 31 and nut 33. At the end of the type-disc shaft beyond the eccentric-bearing bushing, a collar, 3%, is carried by the shaft and co-acts with the fixed gear-hub 16 to retain the shaft in its revoluble operative status, said collar being positioned by means of a set-screw 35.

In my improved mechanism is also comprised the inking drum or roller which confacts with the type-heads 24: ofthe printing discs and supplies the ink thereto. This drum, 8, is suitably mounted above the type-discs and has the usual felt ink-pad, 37, at its cylindrical surface.

The delicacy of adjustment movements afforded by my improvements renders it unnecessary that the inking drum be geardriven in a revoluble movement, and in my invention the drum is mounted as an idler which will be advanced in a revoluble stepmovement by its contact with the type-heads of the printing-discs in the revolution of the discs. Said idler inking-drum 36 is turnably mounted upon a fixed stub-shaft, 3S, bet-ween retaining means at the outer end of the shaft (such as a cross-pin, 39) and a circumferential shoulder, 40, upon the shaft at the opposite side of the drum. Said fixed stub-shaft 38 is preferably adjustably mounted, to govern pressure of the inking drum upon the type-heads 24C, and for this purpose the top end of the fra1ne-ar1n 1a is provided with an open-end slot, 41, in which is conreniently placed and seated the inner end of the stub-shaft, and the latter is secured in adjusted fixed posit-ion and connection with the frame let by the abutment of a shoulder, 4:2, upon the shaft, against one face of the frame and the clamping action of a set-nut, 43, carried upon the threaded end, a l, of the shaft, against the opposite face of the frame.

415 designates a gear suitably comprised in the driving mechanism of the machine, which meshes with the gear 18 of the typedisc driving-shaft 15 to imp-art motion to the latter.

A pl'aten or bed of any suitable construction, as indicated at 4:6, is mounted in relative position beneath the printing drum formed by the assembled type-discs, and the continuous ticket-strip, shown at 47, is fed in and through the mechanism between the with a circumferential type-heads 24: and said platen or bed. The latter has a curved periphery and is preferably of circular or drum form and revolubly mounted, as is usual in this class of ticket-printing machines, and the respective cross-series of type-heads 24; of the revolving type-discs contact with and imprint upon the respective spaced units of the continuous ticket-strip 47 at the apex of the successive arcs of the curved periphery of the platen in the revolution thereof.

The delicate adjustment of the type-disc shaft 15, to compensate for slight variation in the thickness of the paper ticket-strips 4:7 or for Wear of the type-heads 24:, is therefore effected towards and from the periphery of the platen or bed 46.

The operation and advantages of my improvements will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains. The mechanism is characterized by extreme simplicity in construction and therefore economy in manufacture, affords direct connection of the printing media with its actuating shaft and therefore secures a positive and effective operation, and enables very delicate adjustment for conditions of perfect eficiency and with maximum certainty and convenience.

I do not desire to be understood as limitin g myself to the detail features of construction and arrangement as herein shown and described, as it is manifest that variations and modifications therein may be resorted to. in the adaptation of my invention to varying conditions of use, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and improvements. I therefore reserve the right to all such variations and modifications as properly fall within the scope of my invention and the terms of the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a machine of the class described, for printing successively upon the ticket units of a continuous ticket-strip, a revoluble shaft, type-discs having printing characters at their periphery and keyed in locked connection directly to and upon said shaft, whereby said type-discs have a fixed mounting directly on the shaft itself, an impression platen or bed positioned parallel to said revoluble shaft, a framework having a supporting seat, a bushing-block turnably mounted in said seat and having a cylindrical. bore in a longitudinal plane eccentric to the axis of said bushing in its turnable movement, said printing-disc shaft having its revoluble bearing in said bore of the bushing-block, and means for locking said bushing-block in fixed position in its seat, whereby delicate adjustment of the plane of the printing-discshaft to compensate for very slight variation in the thickness of the paper ticket-strips passing between the type-discs and the platen may be effected by slight movement of the turnable bushing-block in its seat.

2. In a machine of the class described, for printing successively upon the ticket units of a continuous ticket-strip, a revoluble shaft having a fixed rib extending in a longitudinal plane and projective at the periphery of the shaft, type-discs having printing characters projective at their periphery and provided with a central openmg corresponding to said shaft and its rib and constituting means whereby said type- .discs are mounted directly on said shaft and in fixed position and locked connection directly thereto, means for clamping said CllSCS in their assembled locked connection directly to and upon said shaft, an impres- S1011 platen or bed positioned parallel to said revoluble shaft, a frame-work having a cylindrical seat, a bushing-block having a cylindrical circumference corresponding to and turnably mounted in said seat and having a cylindrical bore in a longitudinal plane eccentric to the axis of said bushing in its turnable movement, said printing-disc shaft having its revoluble bearing in' said bore of the bushing-block, and means for locking said bushing-block in fixed position in its cylindrical seat, whereby delicate adjustment of the plane of the printingdisc shaft to compensate for very slight variation in the thickness of the paper ticketstrips passing between the type-discs and the platen may be effected by slight movement of the turnable bushing-block in its seat.

3. In a machine of the class described, for printing successive-1y upon the ticket units of a continuous ticket-strip, a revoluble shaft, printing media mounted circumferentially upon said shaft and having peripheral printing characters, an impression platen or bed positioned parallel to said revoluble shaft, a frame-Work having a supporting seat, a bushing-block carried by said seat and turnably movable therein and having a cylindrical bore in a longitudinal plane eccentric to the axis or center of said bushing in its turnable movement, said printing-media shaft having its revoluble bearing in said bore of the bushingblock, whereby delicate adjustment of the plane of the printing-media shaft to compensate for very slight variation in the thickness of the paper ticket-strips passing between the printing media and the platen may be effected by slight movement of the turnable bushing-block in its seat.

In testimony whereof I have signed the foregoing specifications.

JOHN ALIVYN KELLER. 

